… the ups and downs, releases and the personal losses it suffered in 2021
The Kannada film industry has had its share of highs and lows in 2021, struggling to keep up with the pandemic situation and losing some of its brightest stars. After a complete shutdown last year in 2021, filmmakers took to YouTube to post short films, create their own channels and even make movies virtually. We take a look back at the year – hits, misses, laughs and tears.
OTT release
two kannada movies Ikkato And Ratan Prapanch Was released on Amazon Prime Video.
comedy ikat, Directed by brothers Isham and Haseen Khan, it features four characters played by Bhumi Shetty, Nagabhushan, RJ Vicky and Sundar. All four are locked in a house due to the lockdown. When OTT was full of dark-themed stories of life and pandemic, Ikkato It was a breath of fresh air, providing good laughter to the people.
Directed by Rohit Padaki, the other Kannada film that created waves on OTT was Ratan Prapanch In which stars like Umashree, Dhananjay, Anu Prabhakar, Achyut Kumar and Shruti were there. Akkai Padmashali had a small role in the film which dealt with adoption and issues faced by transgenders.
web series
Crime Stories: India Detectives Set in Bengaluru on Netflix and crime documents about solving four murders and our man cases in khakis. A Minnow Films production, a series directed by N Amit and Jack Rampling, the document calls on 100, and follows how Manoj Kumar, ACP Whitefield, and N Shashi Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, work tirelessly to make the city safer. . Crime Stories: India Detectives Captures the essence of Bangalore.
helping Hands
When the film industry shut down, we saw actors and directors joining hands to help those in the industry who were hit by the pandemic. ‘Real Star’ Upendra bought produce from local farmers, which he would donate along with groceries to those in need. Upendra and his team’s social work was not limited to Bengaluru only, but also to Mysore and Chamarajanagar and many other rural areas of Karnataka.
Director Kaviraj started a helpline named Usiru. He was joined by several other directors and actors including late Sanchari Vijay. “We saw our friends and family struggling to get beds or oxygen,” says the director. “At that time we started this helpline where we could send oxygen directly to a patient’s home and work towards providing him the necessary hospital beds. It helped save many lives.”
theatrical release
Sudeep Starrer Kotogobba 3 A grand theatrical release took place, for the first time since the lockdown in 2021. The film also featured Bollywood actor Aftab Shivdasani.
sad loss
The Kannada industry also suffered a great loss of talent including character artists Satyajit and Sivaram. National Award winning actor, Sanchari Vijay died in an accident and the sudden death of ‘Power Star’ Puneet Rajkumar left the industry in shock. The entire state went into mourning and tributes poured in from all over the world. When Vijay was on his bike supplying food and groceries to the families affected by the pandemic, no one knew about Puneet’s philanthropic works, not even his brothers. It was only after his death that many stories of the thousands of lives he touched came to light. Inspired by Puneet and Sanchari Vijay, people pledged their eyes in eye hospitals.
looking ahead
the release of KGF 2 Scheduled for 2022. record breaking sequel KGF Chapter 1, Yash will be reprising his role in the film directed by Prashanth Neel. Anoop Bhandari Vikrant Drona, Which has been in the making for quite some time, has been slated for a February release. The film stars Kichha Sudeep, who will also be seen opposite ‘real star’ Upendra in the retro film. capture, directed by R Chandru.
Puneet Rajkumar’s James will release posthumously. The film will be released under his home banner PRK Films. Another project of Puneet which we can look forward to is the documentary of Amoghavarsha, smelly doll, which is also produced under the PRK Films banner.
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